Vacuum transport device



OCI 3l 1967 R. MooRHUsEN 3,349,980

VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE Filed Oct. 1, 1965 19 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN A TTOR/VEYS Oct. 3l, 1967 R. w. MooRHusl-:N 3,349,980

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ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN B WM A TT ORNE VS Oct. 31, 1967 R. w. MOORHLJSEN 3,349,980

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ROBERT MOORHUSEN A T TORNE YS Oct. 31, 1.967

R. w. MooRHUsEN 3,349,980

VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE Filed Oct. 1, 1965 l19 SheetsLSheet 8 IN VENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSENv BY WQ# A T TORNE YS oct. 31, 1967 R. W. MOORHUSEN VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVI CE Filed Oct. 1, 1965 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 v INVENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN Bwy W0 A T 7" ORNE YS Oct. 31, 1967 R. w. MooRHUSEN VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE 19 sheets-sheet 1o Filed Oct. l, 1965 A T TOP/VE YS OCL 31', 1967 R. w. MooRHusEN 3,349,980

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VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE 19 Sheets-Sheet 13 INVENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN A 7' TORNEI/S OCL 3l, 1967 R, w, MOORHUSEN 3,349,980

VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE Filed oct. 1, 1965 19 sheets-sheet 14 R. W. MOORHUSEN VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE oct. 31, 1967 -19 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed o t. 1, 1965 INVENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN ATTORNEYS Oct. 31, 1967 i R w, MOORHUSEN 3,349,980

VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE Filed Oct. 1, 1965 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 mvENToR. ROBERT w. MooRHUsEN l www A T TORNEI/S Oc't. 3l, 1967 R. w. MooRHUsEN VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed oct. 1, 1965 vCl HEATER SUPPLY HEATER SUPPLY A T TORNEYS VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVI CE Filed oct. 1, 1965 19 sheds-sheet -18 SUPPLY F 6. 22

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A T TORNE YS Oct. 3l, 1967 R. w. MooRHUsEN VACUUM TRANSPORT DEVICE 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 Filed Oct. 1, 1965 whom.

INVENTOR. ROBERT W. MOORHUSEN A T TOR/v5 rs United States Patent Oce Eddd@ Patented Get. 3l., 196'? ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for transporting web material over a plinting zone in a contact printer in which the web material passes from one storage roll to another and is driven at high speeds by a capstan assembly in contact with the web material intermediate the two storage rolls. The web material is held in contact with a hollow rotatable cylindrical member of the capstan assembly by an applied vacuum acting within the cylindrical member. The length of the effective vacuum acting axially along the cylindrical member maybe varied by means of an angularly displaceable valve member to facilitate eicient handling of different widths of web material.

This invention relates to photography and, more particularly, to apparatus for transporting web materials in a Contact printer.

In contact printing, as the name implies and as understood in the art, a sensitized duplicating film paper or the like is exposed on physical contact with the negative to be reproduced. As used herein, the term negative is intended to encompass a transparency in which the image can be either a negative or positive in a photographic sense. As a practical matter, if multiple exposures are to be made in a contact printer, it is necessary to employ a continuous feed system for both the duplicating material and the negative to be reproduced. It is common to thread photographic web materials, as, for example, film, from a supply spool to various directional idlers that help guide the film across the printing zone and onto a takeup spool. Normally, lilm advance and rewind are effected through a drive connected to the takeup spool and supply spool, respectively. With the present day demand for mass production of photographic exposures of the highesty possible quality, resolution, and acutance from roll film negatives, that may vary in width from, for example, 91/2 inches to 70 millimeters, the existing transport systems are generally unsuitable.

In accordance with the present invention, a single vacuum capstan is used to drive the film in both the wind and rewind direction as well as `stop it. More than this, the vacuum is adjustable along the length of the capstan to accommodate different lm widths.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide apparatus for transporting web materials.

It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus capable of rapidly positioning photographic web materials in a contact printer.

It is still another object of this invention to provide apparatus capable of transporting web materials of varying widths with a minimum of adjustment.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide apparatus capable of transporting sensitized web materials without subjecting them to undue contact or stress.

These and other features and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a prespective view of the exterior of the contact printer apparatus hereof;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the control panel;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the contact printer apparatus;

FIGURE 4 is-a side elevation of the contact printer with the doors removed;

FIGURE 5 is an end View of the contact printer apparatus;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the window shade assembly;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged View of the storage loop assembly with portions broken away to show internal structure;

FIGURE 8 is a front View of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a view of the variable coeli'icient damper assembly with portions broken away to show internal structure;

FIGURE 10 is a View of the transport capstan assembly;

FIGURE 11 is a block diagram of the system for starting and stopping the film transport;

FIGURE 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the film drive support;

FIGURES 13A through 13F are sectional views of the film drive support taken along A-A through F*F, respectively of FIGURE 12;

FIGURES 14 and 15 are a plan and side view, respectively, of the articulated idler assembly;

FIGURES 16 and 17 are side elevation and plan views, respectively, of the lm gate assembly partly broken away to show internal components;

FIGURE 18 is an end view of the gate assembly taken along line 18-18 of FIGURE 16;

FIGURE 19 is a sectional view of the lamp house assembly taken along line 19-19 of FIGURE 16;

FIGURE 20 is another sectional view of the lamp house assembly taken along line 20-20 of FIGURE 17;

FIGURE 21 is a block diagram illustrating the exposure control system;

FIGURE 22 is a schematic electrical diagram of the separation amplifier for the exposure control system; and

FIGURE 23 is an electrical circuit diagram of' the scan drive and gate assembly.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the apparatus includes a cabinet 11 having a control panal 12 on which are mounted va-rious selector knobs, buttons, and indicators used for controlling the operation of the machine. For example, certain controls are used to set the printing cycle, while others determine inputs to the automatic exposure control system in a manner which will become apparent. Observation by an operator of the frame position of the negative is obtained through a glass viewer 14 adjacent the control panel. The interior of the printer is protected from light entering through viewer 15 by a suitable light shield not shown. On the sides of the cabinet are sliding doors 15 through which entry may be made for loading the negative and duplicating material and for general servicing of the apparatus.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, control panel 12 has an ON button 17, an OFF button 18, and a standby button 19 which when depressed brings the machine to a controlled stop. Directly below these buttons are a printsin-run counter 21 and a prints-per-frame selector 23 which indicate the total number of prints and prints for each frame, respectively. For manually positioning the negative lm there is a lever 24 connected to a potentiometer that controls the drive of the ilm which can be observed through viewer 14. Also located on the panel are negative wind button 25 and rewind button 26 for rapidly positioning the negative film. A display counter 27 that is set at a reference datum indicates the portion of the negative at the viewer in either feet or frames from the preset reference. Metering of counter 27 in footage or 

6. A CAPSTAN APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING WEB MATERIALS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A FORAMINOUS CYLINDRICAL MEMBER MOUNTED FOR ROTATION AND ADAPTED WHEN ROTATED TO ADVANCE THE WEB MATERIAL, MEANS AXAILLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER FOR RECEIVING AND DISTRIBUTING AN APPLIED VACUUM TO A PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER WHEREBY TO HOLD WEB MATERIAL IN CONTACT THEREWITH, AND CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID RECEIVING AND DISTRIBUTING MEANS AND ANGULARLY DISPLACEABLE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER FOR VARYING THE EFFECTIVE AXIAL PORTION OF THE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER THROUGH WHICH THE VACUUM IS APPLIED WHEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT WIDTHS OF WEB MATERIAL. 